Perhaps the Vatican needs no introduction. As the centre of the Roman Catholic Church, the Vatican City state - along with the surrounding Italian districts of Borgo, Prati and Monte Mario - is packed with more history and artwork than most cities in the world.

Understand

Vatican City (Italian: Città del Vaticano) is an independent country, the latest incarnation of the old Papal States and the temporal seat of the Pope, head of the worldwide Catholic Church; entirely surrounded by the city of Rome, in Italy, the Vatican is also the world's smallest state. Outside Vatican City itself, thirteen buildings in Rome and one at Castel Gandolfo (the Pope's summer residence) also enjoy extraterritorial rights. On March 13, 2013, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected Pontiff, taking the name Francis.

Borgo is the fourteenth rione (ward) of Rome's city centre; it is also the closest to the Vatican. Despite its historical, cultural and artistical importance, a good chunk of it was razed in the 1930s in order to build the grandiose (and, arguably, ugly) via della Conciliazione. What remains today of the ward is located between said avenue and the Leonine walls.

Prati is the twenty-second, and last, rione of the city. An elegant district laid out in the late 19th century, it was designed to house (along with the Esquilino neighbourhood and the area around piazza della Repubblica) the civil servants of the newly-established Kingdom of Italy. Unlike the Esquilino, which housed the less wealthy among the State employees, Prati was home to the city's rising burgeoisie. Its most important squares are the now recently renovated piazza Cavour and piazza del Risorgimento (near the Vatican Museums), while the main boulevard is the classy via Cola di Rienzo - also one of Rome's most famous shopping streets.
The neighbourhood was built during a time of tensions between the Pope and the Italian state and therefore, city planners designed its street layout in such a way to make impossible for anyone to see St. Peter's dome from its wide and carefully planned streets. The district hosts, among the other things, a Waldensian church (on piazza Cavour).

History

The origin of the Papal States, which over the years have varied considerably in extent, may be traced back to AD 756 with the Donation of Pepin. However the Popes were the de facto rulers of Rome and the surrounding province since the fall of the Roman Empire and the retreat of Byzantine power in Italy. Popes in their secular role ruled parts of the central portion of the Italian peninsula for more than a thousand years until 1860, when most of the Papal States were seized by the newly-formed Kingdom of Italy. On September 20, 1870, the Papal States ceased to exist when Rome itself was annexed.

Disputes between a series of "prisoner" Popes and the Kingdom of Italy were resolved in 1929 by three Lateran Treaties which established the independent state of Vatican City, established its territorial extent and, among other things, granted Roman Catholicism special status in Italy.

In 1984, a concordat between the Holy See and the Italian Republic modified some of the earlier treaty provisions, including the primacy of Roman Catholicism as the Italian state religion.

The Pope is elected for life by the College of Cardinals. When the election was last held (March 13, 2013 - Pope Francis I), it attracted large crowds.

Present concerns of the Holy See include interreligious dialogue and reconciliation, and the application of Church doctrine in an era of rapid change and globalization. About a billion people worldwide profess the Catholic faith.

Holy See

It is widely believed that the Vatican City and the Holy See are one and the same, whereas in reality they are not. The Holy See dates back to early Christianity and is the main episcopal see of more than a billion Latin and Eastern Catholic adherents around the globe. Ordinances of Vatican City are published in Italian; official documents of the Holy See are issued mainly in Latin. The two entities have distinct passports: the Holy See, not being a country, issues only diplomatic and service passports whereas Vatican City State issues normal passports.

Terrain

The Vatican sits on a low hill between 19 m and 75 m above sea level. With a boundary only 3.2 km around, the enclosed land area is smaller than some shopping malls; however, the buildings are far more historic and architecturally interesting. Note that, when talking about the country's terrain, most of it's part of the Vatican gardens.

Population

Although roughly 1,000 people live within Vatican City, many dignitaries, priests, nuns, guards, and 3,000 lay workers live outside the Vatican. Officially, there are about 800 citizens making it the smallest nation in demographic size on the globe. The Vatican even fields a soccer team composed of the Swiss Guard who hold dual citizenship.

Get in

Map of the Vatican

It's easy to get to the Vatican by taxi, bus, Metro (the adjoining Prati district is served by line A), tram or by foot from Rome (the closest neighbourhood on the other side of the Tiber being the area around piazza Navona). A beautiful experience can be get to St. Peter's by walking from piazza Venezia, along via del Plebiscito, corso Vittorio Emanuele II and then via della Conciliazione (or, if you want, from Termini walking along via Nazionale) in one of the closest approximation to the Washingtonian "National Mall" or the Parisian "Voie Imperiale" that Rome has to offer you (the other is via dei Fori Imperiali). Take Metro line A to Ottaviano - S. Pietro - Musei Vaticani for the Museums and St. Peter's or tram #19 to piazza del Risorgimento.

From central Rome, the #64 bus goes right to the southern end of the Vatican, but it's a favourite among pickpockets so guard your valuables!

Visitors and tourists are not permitted to drive inside the Vatican without specific permission, which is normally granted only to those who have business with some office in the Vatican.

Get around

With 109 acres (44 hectares) within its walls, the Vatican is easily traveled by foot; however, most of this area is inaccessible to tourists. The most popular areas open to tourists are the St. Peter's basilica and the Vatican Museums.

Talk

Latin enthusiasts rejoice! The Holy See holds Latin as its official language, and the able traveller is invited to check out the urban legend that you can indeed get by within the city state only using the "dead" language. Italian, however, is the official language of Vatican City and remains the most useful of the two.

English is widely spoken here, as are most major languages of the world; this is the Vatican, a city for the world's Catholics and all who wish to see St. Peter's basilica.

See

Swiss Guard

Swiss Guards

The Swiss Guard (Guardia Svizzera Pontificia) is tasked with protecting the Pontiff himself. They wear very colourful clothing, similar to the uniforms worn by Renaissance-era soldiers; winter palette of clothing differs from summer palette. Contrary to popular belief, Michelangelo did not design the Guards' uniforms - rather, they were created by one of the Guard's commanders, Jules Repond, in the 19th century. The Pontifical Swiss Guard is also the smallest and oldest standing army in the world, founded in 1506 by the "warrior Pope" Julius II (the same Pope who kick-started the construction of this 'new' basilica and making Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel). The origins of the Swiss guards, however, go much further; the Popes, as well as a lot of European rulers, regularly employed Swiss mercenaries since the 15th century. Said Swiss mercenaries were a major "export" of Switzerland (before they decided in 1515 not to be involved in military conflicts anymore) and turned particularly useful during the Sack of Rome of 1527.

St. Peter's Basilica

Dome of St. Peter's basilica in Vatican City

The centre of the Catholic world, this magnificent basilica with its dome (designed by Michelangelo) has an awe-inspiring interior. This place is huge, but everything is in such proportion that the scale escapes you. To give you a comparison, you can fit the Statue of Liberty, statue and pedestal (height from ground of pedestal to torch: 93m), underneath the dome (interior height of 120m from floor to top of dome) with room to spare.

To get in, you will first go through a metal detector (after all, this is an important building). Don't be put off if there is a long line in front of the detectors; the whole thing moves quickly. The line is usually shorter in the morning and during mid week.

Baldacchino and the dome, St. Peter's basilica

Aside from going inside, you can take an elevator up to the roof and then make a long climb up 323 steps to the top of the dome for a spectacular view. It costs €7 for the elevator (€5 to climb the stairs) and allow an hour to go up and down. During the climb and before reaching the very top, you will find yourself standing on the inside of the dome, looking down into the basilica itself. Be warned that there are a lot of stairs so it is not for the faint at heart (literally or figuratively) nor the claustrophobic as the very last section of the ascent is through a little more than shoulder-width spiral staircase. Instead of leaving out the doors you came in, go down into the crypt to see the tomb of Pope John Paul II, the crypt leaves out the front.

Note: a strict dress code is enforced (as in many other places of worship), so have your shoulders covered, wear trousers or a not-too-short dress, and take your hats off (which is the custom in churches in Europe. You might be required to check bags at the entrance. Photos are allowed to be taken inside, but not with a flash. The lack of light will probably cause your pictures not to turn out very well, so you may want to buy a few postcards to keep as souvenirs.

The basilica is open daily April to September 9AM-7PM and October to March 9AM-6PM; closed Wednesday mornings for papal audiences.

Free 90 minute tours leave daily from the Tourist Information at 2:15PM, many days also at 3PM. Telephone: 06-6988-1662. €5 audio-guides can be rented from the checkroom.

Tours are the only way to see the Vatican Gardens, €12, book at least a day in advance by calling 06-6988-4676, Tuesday, Thursday, & Saturday at 10AM, depart from tour desk and finish in St. Peter's square. To tour the Necropolis and Saint's Tomb, call the excavations office at least a week in advance at 06-6988-5318, €10 for 2 hour tour, office open Monday to Saturday 9AM-5PM.

If you want to see the Pope, you can either see a usual blessing from his apartment at noon on Sunday, just show up (however, in the summer he gives it from his summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, 25 miles from Rome) or you can go to the more formal Wednesday appearance. The pope arrives in the popemobile at 10:30AM to bless crowds from a balcony or platform, except in winter, when he speaks in the Aula Paolo VI auditorium next to the square. You can easily watch from a distance or get a free ticket, which you must get on the Tuesday before. There are a number of ways:

Interior of St. Peter's basilica

Your hotelier may be able to book one for you

You could wait in a long line at St. Peter's on Tuesday where the Swiss Guards hand out tickets at their post to the right of the basilica, after 12:00 on Tuesday

You can contact the S. Susanna parish in order to get a ticket, which you can pick up there on Tuesday between 5PM & 6:45PM, on via XX Settembre (Metro line A, stop: "Repubblica"). Call 06-4201-4554, or go to [29]

Finally, if you want to book a free spot in the square or in the auditorium, call 06-6988-4631

Note that the Pope may occasionally be away on a state visit, however.

St. Peter's square

St. Peter's

St. Peter's square is, actually, an ellipse. There are two stones (one on each side of the square) between the obelisk and the fountains. If you step on either of these stones, the four columns on the colonnades merge into one.

The fountains were designed by two different architects Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

The obelisk in the middle of the square was transported from Egypt to Rome in 37 A.D. by the Emperor Caligula to mark the spine of a circus eventually completed by Nero. The so-called Circus of Nero was parallel to and to the south of the east-west axis of the current basilica. It was in this circus that St. Peter was crucified in the first official persecutions of Christians undertaken by Nero beginning in 64 A.D. and continuing until his death in 67 A.D. The original location of the obelisk is marked with a plaque located near the sacristy on the south side of the basilica, where it remained until it was moved in 1586 A.D. by Pope Sixtus V to its present location.

During the Middle Ages, the bronze ball on top of the obelisk was believed to contain the ashes of Julius Caesar. When it was relocated to the present reliquary, the Chigi Star in honour of Pope Alexander VII was added, containing pieces of the True Cross. This is the only obelisk in Rome that never toppled since it was placed in ancient Rome and is the second largest Egyptian obelisk after the Lateran obelisk. This celebrated obelisk nearly shattered while it was being moved. Upon orders of the pope, no one was to speak a word otherwise he would be excommunicated. However, a sailor shouted to water the ropes to prevent them from burning. He was forgiven and in gratitude for saving the day, the palms for Palm Sunday still come from the sailor's home town of Bordighera. The moving of this obelisk was celebrated in engravings during its time to commemorate the Renaissance's recovery and mastery of ancient knowledge.

The Vatican Museums

The Vatican Museums, [1]. Mon-Sat 09:00-18:00 (last tickets at 16:00). Closed on Sundays except last Sunday of the month; when it is free, crowded, and open 9:00AM-2:00PM. The museum is closed for holidays on: January 1 & 6, February 11, March 19, April 4 & 5, May 1 , June 29, August 14 & 15, November 1, and December 8, 25, & 26.. One of the greatest art galleries in the world, the museum is most famous for its spiral staircase, the Raphael Rooms and the exquisitely decorated Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo's frescoes. It's organised in such a way that the visitor has to follow a one-way route; do see it! Don't put it off, because it closes before the rest of the museum does!Visitors: €15, Concessions: €8.00.

Double Spiral Staircase, exit of Vatican Museum

You can get to the Vatican Museums by taking Metro line A (direction: "Battistini") and getting off at the "Ottaviano - S.Pietro - Musei Vaticani" or "Cipro" stops (10 minutes walk). Bus #49 stops in front of the museum entrance, buses #32, #81 and #982, along with tram line #19, stop on piazza del Risorgimento (5 minutes walk); buses #492 and #990 stop at via Leone IV and via degli Scipioni, respectively (5 minutes walk).

The Museums are, usually, most crowded on Saturdays, Mondays, the last Sunday of the month, rainy days, and the days before or after a holiday. Dress code: no short shorts or bare shoulders. Telephone: +39 06 69884947. There are often lengthy queues from the entrance that stretch around the block in the early morning. Non-guided visitors should join the queue that is to the left as you are facing the entrance; the queue on the right is intended for guided group visitors. Two hour English tours cost €31 and includes museum admission, and leave at 10:30AM, 12PM, & 2PM in summer, 10:30AM & 11:15AM in winter. To reserve, book online [30]. Other contact details: for groups [email protected], for individuals: [email protected], tel. + 39 06 69883145 or +39 06 69884676, fax + 39 06 69873250.

With a booking you skip the queue and enter through the exit, next to entry, to go to the guided tours desk. There are also audio-guides available from the top of the escalator/ramp for €7. Two people to share a single unit plugging in a standard set of earphones.

Accessing the Sistine Chapel requires walking through many other (spectacular) halls and buildings (including the Raphael's Rooms) and it takes about an hour, but if you are confined to a wheelchair or travelling with a baby pram or stroller you can use the lifts and go straight to the Sistine Chapel. It takes 5-10 minutes unless you stop along the long corridor. Note that although the Museum is quite large, no free map is available - you must bring your own, or purchase a guidebook in the shop for €10 or more.

Also, be aware that it is not allowed to take pictures or to talk loudly in the Sistine Chapel (although everybody flagrantly violates these rules). While one may agree with this policy or not, the visit would be a much more pleasant one without the guards having to yell out "Shh!" or: "No foto e no video!" every two minutes. The bottom line is: respect the rules and let every visitor enjoy the best of the experience, even if no one else does. If you try to sneak a picture (again, like everyone does), you'll get a bad photograph and a screaming guard as your reward.

Other

Castel Sant'Angelo, [2]. 09.00 to 19.00, last entry at 18.30, closed on Mondays. Perhaps the most fascinating building in Rome. The core of the structure began life as the mausoleum of the Emperor Hadrian, built between 135 and 139 AD. Subsequent strongholds were built on top of the mausoleum during the Middle Ages and were in turn incorporated into a residence and castle by the Popes. The building was used as a prison until 1870, but now houses a museum. Opera buffs will be exhilarated to visit the balcony from which Tosca leaps to her death; film buffs will recognise as a setting from "Angels and Demons".Euros 8,5, with reductions. Roma Pass accepted.

Palazzo di Giustizia (Palace of Justice), piazza Cavour ("buses). Designed by architect Guglielmo Calderini and built between 1889 and 1911 in order to house Italy's Corte di Cassazione (the Italian equivalent of the Supreme Court), this imposing neo-Renaissance palace underwent extensive restoration in 1970, when its foundations nearly sunk into the alluvial terrain. The adjoining piazza Cavour was laid out by architect Nicodemo Severi in 1885, and a sculpture by Stefano Galletti celebrating Count Camillo Benso di Cavour (the éminence grise behind the Italian Unification) lies at the centre of the gardens. Following the construction of an underground parking lot between 2006 and 2012, the square has been recently refurbished. .

Do

The two main entrances to Vatican City for tourists are A) the Vatican Museums, accessible from viale Vaticano on the northern side of the city state and B) St. Peter's basilica, on the southeastern side of the city and accessible from via della Conciliazione. The basilica is open usually from 7-7. The Vatican Museums is open to the public from 9 AM - 4 PM Monday - Saturday. Visitors can stay inside until 6 PM. The Vatican Museums are closed on Sundays except for the last Sunday of each month when it is open from 9-12:30. Visitors can stay inside until 2 PM. Take note that this day is usually extremely busy so it is preferable to visit another day if you are able to afford it.

While guidebooks do their best to provide an aid for viewing the collections inside the Vatican, a guided tour is a far better way to make sure you get the most out of your visit.

Vatican Tours

Guided tours are provided by the Vatican itself for the cost of 32 Euro. Tours can be booked here starting 60 days before the requested tour date here: [31].

Guided tours are also offered by several other companies.

Angel Tours: 1 PM Vatican Tour. Rome like a local with word of mouth famous guides from Ireland, England, and Rome, who will help you skip the line, giving you priority entrance to everything.

Presto Tours [32]: 8 AM Early Bird Vatican Tour. Small group tours for the Intelligent Traveler. Presto Guides embody the ability to present their subjects with an unparalleled finesse. Priority entrance to all sites.

Buy

ATM in Latin language

The Vatican has a unique, noncommercial economy that is supported financially by contributions (known as Peter's Pence) from Roman Catholics throughout the world. It also sells postage stamps, tourist mementos, and publications. Fees for admission to museums also go into church coffers.

One euro is divided into 100 cents. While each official euro member (as well as Monaco, San Marino and Vatican) issues its own coins with a unique obverse, the reverse, as well as all bank notes, look the same throughout the eurozone. Every coin is legal tender in any of the eurozone countries.

The Vatican euro is the rarest in circulation among the European countries, so don't spend it! It is worth a lot more than its face value. The Vatican is also the only country in the world where ATM instructions are available in Latin.

Eat

The Vatican Museums have a reasonable cafeteria-style restaurant, a bar and a pizzeria - all of which are open during museum opening hours and until about one hour after closing. See also Rome.

Insalata Ricca, via Fulcieri Paulucci de' Calboli (near piazza Mazzini), [4]. Part of a Rome-based chain, offers good salads and other food to both tourists and locals.Cheap.

Gelarmony, via Marcantonio Colonna, 34 (Metro line A, "Lepanto" stop). One of the best gelaterie in city, a favourite among locals.

Castroni, via Cola di Rienzo, 196/198. A shop with a huge selection of foods from all over Europe. It's pricey, but it's worth it.

Franchi, via Cola di Rienzo, 200. Another shop with an impressive assortment of cheeses and cold cuts; dishes for a quick bite are also available.

Drink

Coffee (caffè) in the morning, mineral water for lunch - either gassata/frizzante (sparkling) or liscia (plain mineral water) - and try to find rosé wine in the evening: it goes very well with all Italian dishes, and keeps one and one's company fresh and summery. Care and solid experience is advised when arriving from colder climates, to absorb the many new, ever so pleasant, enviroments and tastes, and the delicates of balancing wine and water, with creamy sauces and vinegars.

Sleep

Unless you count the Pope as a good friend (and he concurs), there are no lodging opportunities in the Vatican City itself. However, there are many hotels in the surrounding neighbourhoods of Rome.

Budget

Rome Best BB, via Francesco Sivori, 14 (a few metres from the Vatican Museums), ☎+39 3894330366 ([email protected]), [5]. The entire bed & breakfast is inspired by the world of video games and in particular the 8-bit world.From €25.

Hotel Colors, via Boezio, 31, ☎+ 39 06 6874030 (fax: + 39 06 6867947), [8]. Seven dorms and wide selection of bedrooms with private showers, TV and a shared kitchen for this two star accommodation placed next to the Vatican City and the St. Peter's, able to host any kind of clientele, either family and young travelers.

Vatican Station B&B Rome, via Vito Artale, 6 ("close), ☎+ 39 06 45664168 ([email protected]), [9]. checkin: 12 flexible; checkout: 10 flexible. Fast Internet Wi-fi and Breakfast included. In addition to its proximity to the Metro A (300 mt) the B&B Vatican Station is also very close to the bus stop (50 mt) where it is possible to take several bus lines (907, 913, 990, 991, 999). All the rooms of the Bed and Breakfast are air conditioned, paved in marble, have a comfortable bed queen-size with latex mattress and a separate private bathroom equipped with: big shower, hairdryer, towels and soap set.from €50 per room.

B&B Flaminia House, via Flaminia Vecchia, 484, ☎(+39) 06 99344539 (+39) 392 9459587 ([email protected]), [15]. checkin: 16:00; checkout: 13:00. A family run B&B with all the amenities of a modern hotel. Next to Ponte Milvio and the Vatican City.From €40 per person.

B&B Gli Artisti, via degli Scipioni, 53, ☎(+39) 3382078356, [16]. Three colourful rooms are rented out in this B&B, a little less than a kilometre from the main entrance to the VaticanFrom €64.

Franklin Feel The Sound Hotel, via Rodi, 29, ☎+39 06.39030165 ([email protected], fax: +39 06.39751652), [19]. Hotel with a unique music theme. The decor is very modern and stylish. Staff was helpful friendly and polite, continental breakfast is varied and plentiful. The rooms are clean, funky and very comfortable.€119-189.

Silla Hotel Rome, via Silla, 3. [41]. Telephone +39 06 3721922 • Fax +39 06 3721922. Two star hotel with single, double, triple and quadruple rooms. All with en-suite private bath, shower, telephone and TV. Air conditioning and breakfast are available for a little supplement. The prices change according to the season. Single room from €70 to 110. Double from €85 to 150. Triple from €120 to 175. Quadruple from €140 to 200.

Staying Safe

While violence towards LGBT visitors is unheard of, you might get angry stares or looked down upon by the Church, which regards homosexual acts as sinful. Just use caution who you "come out" to, they might give you a sermon on repenting/chastity (not as severe as the one the Westboro Baptist Church would, but it's sill not pleasant).

Contact

Mail a letter. Since Vatican City is a separate country, it also has its own postal system, which is generally considered to be a bit more reliable than that of Italy. Send a postcard to your friends and it will be postmarked from Vatican City.

Respect

Respect and reverence to the Roman Catholic Church and its practices and doctrine is encouraged. Those who aren't Catholic and are openly declaring it by blatantly attacking the Church's views and beliefs might be treated as less than an equal, or at less looked down on. Try to keep your beliefs to yourself and don't get in a debate over them.

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